Oncogenic potential of prolonged growth hormone (GH)-administration in adult mice liver

CERCATO MAGALÍ CECILIA; GONZALEZ LORENA; CICCONI NADIA SOFÍA; BOJORGE MARIANA ANDREA; SOTELO ANA ISABEL; CEBRÓN JULIETA ROCÍO; MIQUET JOHANNA GABRIELA

Mar Del Plata

Congreso; LXIV Reunión anual de la Sociedad Argentina de Investigaciones Clínicas (SAIC); 2019

Sociedad Argentina de Investigación Clínica

Growth hormone (GH) is given to children with growth impairment and to adults under catabolic states, even if they are not GH-deficient. Chronic exposure to elevated GH levels induces pro-oncogenic liver pathology; GH-overexpressing transgenic mice develop liver tumors at advanced ages. We had evaluated the effect of 5-week GH-treatment, given with the hepatic tumor inductor diethylnitrosamine (DEN), on tumor formation in growing male mice liver. GH did not promote tumor formation, nor did GH given with DEN increase the number of hepatic lesions in growing mice. The aim of this study was to assess if the same prolonged GH pharmacological treatment would induce any alterations when given to 5-month-old mice.Livers (n=7-9) were collected at 48 weeks of age and visually inspected. GH-treatment alone did not induce visible lesions. DEN treatment induced liver tumor formation, whereas combination with GH did not promote further tumor development. Microscopical evaluation revealed that only DEN-treated groups exhibited dysplastic foci, although non-significant differences were attained with GH-treatment. The number of hepatocytes per microscopic field was increased in the dysplastic foci compared to the surrounding tissue (p